Woman Backed for Leaving Husband in Hospital During Hurricane

As Hurricane Ian pummels through Florida and the Carolinas, commenters are criticizing a Florida man for getting mad at his wife who left him in the hospital to prepare the house and take care of their four children before the storm hit.

The Original Poster (OP), known as u/Injuredandalone, posted about the situation in Reddit's "Am I The A**hole" forum where it received more than 13,100 upvotes and 4,700 comments. The post can be found here.

Hurricane Preparedness

It is important for individuals to be prepared during hurricane season which includes keeping up to date with the weather forecast, listening to evacuation plans, and packing a hurricane kit:

• Water
• Non-perishable and canned food
• Radio
• Flashlight
• Extra batteries
• Blanket
• Phone and portable charger
• Copies of important documents
• Cash

It is also important for local governments to prepare for hurricane season by focusing on preventive measures rather than intervention, as Mark McQueen–––the city manager for Panama City, Florida––wrote in an opinion piece for Newsweek in June.

McQueen recalled the damage Panama City faced after it was hit by Hurricane Michael in 2018 forcing nearly 10,000 residents from their homes. He said that after securing the safety of residents, officials immediately began cleaning up the $150 million worth of damage.

'AITA?'

In the article titled "AITA for being upset my wife didn't stay in the hospital with me?" the 35-year-old man said he was in the hospital after getting into a motorcycle accident on Monday.

He said he is suffering from a collapsed lung, broken leg and arm, and torn ligaments in his knee and that due to the collapsed lung, he had a chest tube put in.

The OP said that his wife stayed at the hospital until about 4 a.m. on the day of the accident and was back again later in the morning.

Together, the OP and his wife have a one-year-old and the OP's wife also has a daughter, 17, and two sons, 10 and 5, from a previous marriage.

"Yesterday she only stayed until about 1 pm to prepare the house for the hurricane and didn't come at all today because the weather wasn't great and she said she didn't want to leave the kids," the post read. "I told her I was upset that I basically went through everything alone."

The OP then told he "would've done anything to be with her" but she responded that she was there as much as she could be but still needed to be there for their four kids.

She also said it isn't fair to "dump" the kids on her 17-year-old daughter.

"I told her marriage means through thick and thin and I feel abandoned," the post read. "Now I'm getting one word answers from her. AITA for feeling like an afterthought?"

Redditor Reactions

More than 4,800 users commented on the post, many criticizing the OP for getting upset with his wife for being with her four children during the hurricane.

"Maybe you're still on drugs and aren't aware of how much of an AH you sound....?" one user commented receiving over 56,000 upvotes. "It's not as though she's leaving you to go party, she has kids...including one of yours."

"YTA for not understanding that a 17 year old shouldn't be responsible for 3 kids age 10 and under DURING A HURRICANE," another user commented. "The situation isn't ideal, but it's obvious to me she's there as much as she can...The fact that you're not more understanding of her trying to balance all her responsibilities DURING A HURRICANE is bizarre."

"Bro she has to take care of 4 kids by herself, and is trying to visit you. Clearly she's trying her best and she's got a lot on her plate. Yta"

"1. motorcycles are inherently dangerous, you take this risk every time you ride," another user commented. "2. You know there are 4 kids at home, who is supposed to take care of them all day? 3. By your post, sounds like you live in Florida or wherever the hurricane is hitting, someone needs to prepare."

Newsweek reached out to u/Injuredandalone for comment.